Not upheld: Account administration errors complaint against Monzo Bank Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr A complained that Monzo upgraded his current account to a paid Monzo Extra subscription (£3/month) without his agreement and refused to refund over a year of payments. Monzo maintained that Mr A signed up through a multi-step process requiring PIN confirmation during the 1p savings challenge sign-up and received a confirmation email. The ombudsman found that Mr A likely did sign up to the plan, as the process required deliberate selections and PIN entry, and that Monzo made the subscription terms reasonably clear through the app interface, confirmation email, and in-app information. The complaint was not upheld and no refund was ordered.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that although Mr A disputed signing up to the Extra plan, the evidence showed he likely did so during the 1p savings challenge process. The sign-up process required multiple deliberate steps including selecting 'explore plans', choosing 'Get Extra for £3/month', selecting 'Confirm and pay', and entering his PIN. Monzo provided a confirmation email and maintained subscription information in the app. Mr A's own statement to Monzo that he 'signed up accidentally' suggested he may have been aware of the sign-up but confused it with the savings challenge. The ombudsman concluded Monzo made the subscription terms reasonably clear and therefore did not make a mistake requiring a refund.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website